Towards the Gates of Adulthood
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: A Diamond and Pearl Magic Dimension special episode. We follow Haruka and Ichiyou on their train across the world, where they reflect on the good times and finally realize how much they really mean to each other... Shoujo-ai in this one.


"_Well, everyone, I guess this is goodbye," Haruka stated._

"_Believe me, it's been fun. All of it," Ichiyou continued. "We'll see you when we see you, I guess."_

"_Do you guys really have to leave so soon?" Doremi asked._

"_It's always been a dream of mine to see the world with the wind..." Ichiyou started, only to be interrupted by a playful slap from Haruka._

"_Don't start with the book quotes again, okay, Leaf-chan? We'll have all the time in the world for that once we're on our way," Haruka advised._

"_Right, right," Ichiyou responded, walking up to Nick._

"_We can put our marriage plans on hold for a while, right, Nick?" Ichiyou asked._

"_You may want to stop asking me that around Momoko," Nick advised. Momoko's face was flushed at Ichiyou's previous statement. "I think she's starting to get a little flustered."_

_Ichiyou giggled a bit, then turned serious before embracing Nick. "You do know that I'm going to miss you, Nick?"_

"_I'm going to miss you, too, Leaf. We all will. You two just have fun out there, okay?"_

"_You know we will, Nick."_

_Before Nick knew what was happening, Ichiyou had just kissed him quite deeply. Nick returned the kiss, hoping that Momoko wouldn't take this the wrong way._

_Once they pulled apart, they could hear the train conductor shouting "All aboard!!"_

"_I guess that's our cue to scram," Haruka stated. "See you guys in the funny papers!!"_

"_Now who's using famous quotes?" Ichiyou teased._

Through the jungles of Africa, we can see a train barreling down the tracks towards its next destination.

This, in fact, is the train that two close friends are taking on their world tour, following their shared dream to study in exotic places.

Haruka Reisei and Ichiyou Kitakaze had become ever closer over the course of their cross-country escapades.

Why don't we go and check up on them?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(They say that those who can't do, teach.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Diamond and Pearl Magic Dimension  
_This Chapter: January 10th, 2009  
Summary: In the sequel to Ojamajo Doremi Diamond and Pearl, when Nick's parents are attacked by a mysterious marauder known only as Gaul, the Ape King, the Ojamajos will have to come together for one final adventure, because Gaul has wicked designs on this world...  
On Today's Episode: We follow Haruka and Ichiyou on their train across the world, where Haruka wonders if they've made the right choice, Ichiyou reflects on the good times, and the two friends realize how much they really mean to each other...

Disclaimer (just in case): Ojamajo Doremi is copyright Toei Animation. This story, Nick, Haruka, Ichiyou, Riiko, and Yumi are copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, circa 2008.

One more thing: This series is going to be dedicated to my father, who passed away just recently.

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Special Chapter 3: Towards the Gates of Adulthood

Ichiyou poked her head out of the open windows as the Bullet Train continued on its course, just letting the wind whip against her face, her long chestnut-brown hair flapping backwards in the breeze.

"They say you shouldn't do that when we're going at this speed," Haruka playfully chided, averting her gaze from the magazine she was reading.

"Come on, Haruka!! Live a little!! You won't get anywhere in life unless you take chances!!" Ichiyou shot back, giggling a little.

Haruka stared at the summerleaf witch apprentice. "Good point."

Haruka turned back to her magazine. "So, Leaf, are you excited about arriving in Africa?"

"They're not going to hurt us, are they?" Ichiyou asked, shivering just a tiny bit.

Haruka couldn't help but giggle; Ichiyou always looked so cute when she shivered.

"You need to relax, Leaf. That silly war's been over for three years now. And even if it was still going, I don't think they'd try to shoot a couple of foreign exchange students," Haruka explained, to which Ichiyou calmed down considerably.

"That's a relief," Ichiyou noted. "I'm having too much fun with this world tour. I don't want it to end just like that!" The summerleaf witch snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.

Ichiyou then noticed a bit of a sad expression on Haruka's face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Haruka looked back at her best friend. "I still miss the others, Leaf... I always wonder if we made the right choice..."

Ichiyou smiled, walking up and letting her hand rest on Haruka's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry, Haruka. They understand why we made that choice. Believe me, if Nick's okay with it, I'm sure the others are, too!"

Haruka tilted her head to the side a bit. "You know something? That actually made me feel a little better."

Ichiyou smiled again. "That was the intent!"

"_Arigatou,_ Leaf." Haruka leaned over and pecked Ichiyou on the cheek, causing the summerleaf witch to blush.

The aqua witch looked out the window as the train inched closer to their destination.

"Hey, Haruka, do you remember when I came back to Misora?" Ichiyou asked.

"How could I forget that?" Haruka responded, laughing a bit. "Momo-chan... I don't think I've ever seen her mad before that day..."

(flashback, Nick's P.O.V.)

_No sooner had I said that than the room's door quickly slid open, revealing an exhausted girl with long, wavy brown hair, wearing a light purple vest with a blue jacket, along with an orange and red skirt and a cap that looked kinda familiar to me._

"_Is... is there something the matter, miss?" I asked in my normal language. "If you're looking for Seki-sensei, I think she went to the office..."_

"_NICK!! I found you!!" the girl cried, charging forward and throwing her arms around me. The speed at which she was running knocked us both to the ground. Momoko would have been flattened had she not jumped away._

"_Um, can someone tell me what's going on?" I asked while trying to shake off the mysterious girl._

"_Oh, come on, Nick, don't you remember me?" the girl replied upon hearing that. "It's me! 'Leaf'!"_

_Suddenly, I recognized that name. That was the nickname I gave one of my old friends..._

"_Ichiyou? Ichiyou Kitakaze?" I asked._

"_Oh, Nick! You DO remember me!" she exclaimed, squeezing me even tighter._

"_Leaf... you can let go of me now..."_

_She let out a soft gasp before releasing me and allowing me to pick myself up._

"_How long has it been, Nick?" Ichiyou asked._

_Suddenly, before I could answer, I noticed Momoko; she didn't look too happy._

"_Nick? Who is this girl?" Momoko wasted no time in getting to the point._

(end flashback)

Haruka couldn't help but laugh at that. "I'm surprised Momo-chan didn't try to kill you for that little stunt, Leaf."

Ichiyou just shook her head. "Nah. She's too nice to try something like that."

Haruka just smiled. "That didn't stop her from going all-out on the bad guys. You saw how she obliterated those apes the day before we left, right?"

"BOOM!!!" Ichiyou exclaimed. "She knocked them right out of the park!!"

Haruka sighed happily, just glad to remember the good old days.

"Speaking of the good old days, you remember what happened back in China?" Haruka asked.

Ichiyou steadily groaned at this. "WHY were those boys so infatuated with me, Haruka?" the summerleaf witch wondered.

"Hormones can make people act crazy. You know that, Leaf," Haruka responded, her smile widening with each passing second. "They just happened to fall really hard for you."

"But ALL OF THE BOYS IN OUR CLASS?! That's insane!! I couldn't even turn a corner without one of them trying to propose to me!!" Ichiyou rambled, waving her arms about.

"I had to use my magic to craft a ring so it looked like you were already hitched!!" Haruka responded. "Boy, did THAT throw them off!"

This surprised Ichiyou a bit. "Wait, you made that with magic? Didn't we give up our powers?"

Haruka grinned and pulled out an aqua blue orb of energy. "Majorika gave me this before we told Kellysi-chan and the others. I can still draw on what's left of our old powers through this little glowing ball."

Ichiyou smiled. "NICE."

"It sure is, right, _Ichlea-chan?_" Haruka teased.

"HEY!!!" Ichiyou exclaimed, blushing like mad. "Only Akari-chan gets to call me that. She did come up with the name."

(flashback)

_Akari perked up and nodded. "N-Nice to meet you er..."_

"_Leaf. Call me 'Leaf'," Ichiyou introduced, bowing with a grin. "Real name's Ichiyou if you're wondering... But Saiki-kun's the only one who ever calls me that anymore."_

"_That's my Saiki-kun, too formal for nicknames," Yuki stated dreamily, placing a hand on her reddened cheek, comical hearts flying around._

_The summerleaf apprentice just laughed. She hasn't changed a bit..._

"_Ichiyou-chan... Leaf-chan... Hai?" Akari tilted her head to the side and blushed, bowing deeply. "N-N-Nice to m-m-meet you, Ichlea-chan!"_

"_Wow... Now THAT'S new..." Ichiyou stated to herself, stunned with the mixture of the two names. "How cute!"_

"_Akari-chan!" Hinata scolded, waving her finger. "Ya don't need to be all complicated... Just call her 'Leaf-chan', like me!"_

"_O-Okay..." Akari looked forward, her face a deep shade of blink that rivaled her hair color._

"_I-It's really nice to meet you Le... Leaf-chan."_

_Dead silence._

_Ichiyou grinned. "It's nice to meet you too, Akari-chan!"_

_Hinata clapped. "Way to go, Akari-chan!"_

_Akari let out a sigh of relief, and Yuki just smiled._

(end flashback)

"Good times, good times," Ichiyou noted, nodding her head a couple times.

Haruka looked down at the leaf-shaped charm that Ichiyou had bought for her at this cute little gift shop in Europe.

_I need to tell her, don't I?_ Haruka thought. _I have to tell her before she figures it out. I could swear Leaf was a detective in another life._

That was one of the things that Haruka had always found appealing: once Ichiyou discovered something amiss, she wouldn't stop until she resolved the matter.

_I guess it's now or never,_ Haruka thought. "Um, Leaf?"

"Yes, Haruka dear?"

Haruka easily blushed at that. "There's something... that I really need to tell you."

Ichiyou just smiled. She knew what was coming. To be frank, she'd always seen the hints.

"Ever since you asked me to come with you on this world tour, I've been feeling something strange towards you," Haruka explained. "It only got stronger as we continued country-hopping, and after so long, especially with all those boys trying to propose to you back in China, I knew I couldn't hide my feelings from you anymore. Besides, with how much you seem like a detective, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out already."

Ichiyou grinned. "What is it you want to say?"

"Straight to the point, as always," Haruka giggled. "What I'm trying to say is..."

Haruka gathered up her courage.

"Ichiyou Kitakaze... I love you."

Ichiyou's smile just doubled at the words she'd been hoping Haruka would say for so long.

"I love you, too, Haruka Reisei."

Slowly but surely, the two best friends closed the distance between them, and their lips joined in a passionate liplock for about fifteen seconds.

"GOD, that was hard for me to say," Haruka stated once they'd pulled apart. "I always freeze up in situations like this. Sometimes, I wonder how Kellysi-chan and Momo-chan do it..."

"Years of practice, I'm sure," Ichiyou responded with a giggle.

"Speaking of which, you're not gonna keep pestering Kellysi-chan about that promise?" Haruka asked.

"Ah, I'm over it. I've already accepted that those two make a cute couple," Ichiyou stated. "Besides, I've got someone now."

Haruka smiled, leaning in for another kiss. "You sure do, sweetie."

By this point, the Bullet Train had reached its destination, and it was time for the new couple to disembark.

"Ah, Africa!!" Ichiyou giggled. "Land of forests and interesting cultures!!"

"Did you get that one from a book, too?" Haruka noted, causing the summerleaf witch to blush.

"Miss Leaf? Is it really you?"

Ichiyou froze in her spot, turning around slowly.

Yep. There was one of her suitors from China.

"Haruka?"

"Yes, Leaf?"

"RUN!!!!"

Ichiyou took Haruka's hands into her own and dashed off with her new lover in tow, Haruka's giggles echoing across the area.

(Footage: We see the stars of the night as the song begins. We then pan over to Momoko's house.)

_Mijikai yoru ni mayoi konde meiru  
__(Another short night lost in your email...)_

(Footage: Momoko, who's dressed in her pajamas, looks a little depressed as we pan across her. Her cell phone appears to be beeping.)

_Heya to kodoku de mazu mabushii game  
__(Alone in your room with nothing but the screen's glare...)_

(Footage: Wondering who'd be calling her so late, Momoko picks up her cell phone and opens it.)

_onaji toki onaji kimochi no ureshi setsunasa  
__(Feeling happy and hurt at the same time...)_

(Footage: Pan across Momoko from a little further away as she presses a few buttons on her phone. She appears to be smiling now.)

_ima kono kyou ni jikan sai mo tobi koete  
__(This goes on all night... "today" is long gone.)_

(Footage: Close up of Momoko, who's definitely smiling. She picks up her shoes and heads out.)

_nakiwarai suki kimi no kokoro wa  
__ima donna e no fudoui no shiteruno?  
__(Smiling on the outside, crying on the inside...  
__Do you even know what silly thing you're arguing about?)_

(Footage: We can now see Momoko, who's in her normal clothes, walking down the dark city streets, her hands behind her back. She appears to be searching for someone.)

_nakiwarai suki egao wo hajikeru futari wa  
__taiyou mitai kirakira na orange  
__(Smiling on the outside, crying on the inside, when they grin at each other,  
__They're oranges that glow like the sun.)_

(Footage: Momoko stops by a carnival, where memories flash by the screen of her and Nick playing at that very carnival. She sighs in happiness before continuing on her trip.)

_ima kimi ga egaitai yume no ue  
__(So many pictures of your dreams that you wish to display...)_

(Footage: Still shot of Momoko performing an Ojamajo Rainbow Spear.)

_soko wa hateshi naku kioku mayoisou DAYS  
__(We could get lost in the endless memories of those days...)_

(Footage: Still shot of Momoko performing an Ojamajo Aura Star.)

_kimi ga inai donna kitashisou na  
__watashi mo kono days hanashitaku nakutte...  
__(I told you, if you're not with me,  
__I won't say a word about them.)_

(Footage: Still shot of Momoko performing the Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw, though we can't see Nick.)

_nakiwarai suki futari no mirai wa  
__(Smiling on the outside, crying on the inside, the future comes along.)_

(Footage: Momoko is now walking through downtown, the city lights giving everything a luminescence about it.)

_nee donna e no fudoui no minoru ka na?  
__(Will it bring arguments or compromise?)_

(Footage: Momoko trips on a crack in the sidewalk and takes a rather nasty spill to the ground.)

_nakiwarai suki majime wo saki ittemo  
__(Smiling on the outside, crying on the inside, looking serious and moving on...)_

(Footage: Momoko winces in pain, only for her wound to be covered in a bright light and suddenly healed. She turns around, and notices a hand offering to help her up.)

_negau no wa amazuppai orange  
__(I want another bite of this bittersweet orange.)_

(Footage: We pan up to Nick, who is smiling down at his girlfriend. Momoko's smiles immediately brightens, and she takes Nick's hand into her own as the song ends.)


End file.
